Best Rat Trap – Buyer’s Guide

It’s the stuff of nightmares for many people. Seeing a rat or even rat droppings in or around the house is enough to set almost anyone’s heart racing. Rats have been the object of fear and revulsion for centuries. They are well known as transmitters of diseases, and they have been known to bite or scratch people and pets.

What Is The Best Rat Trap in 2020?

Any household may have a rat problem at one time or another. These crafty and determined pests are not particularly picky about where they live or where their next meal comes from. This means that most homes, and even many businesses, may be susceptible to infestation.

Keep Rats Out

If you believe that you have a rat problem, then the first thing to do is to figure out how they are getting into your home or office. Sealing up these entrances, which may be as small as the diameter of a quarter, will prevent any rodents from entering the premises. It also may be important to tidy up the yard, make certain that all trash cans have tight lids and trim trees back from structures so that they don’t touch.

Consider Getting Rat Traps

Once you start looking, you’ll quickly realize that you have many options for rat traps. Some of them are designed to instantly kill pests. Others are entirely non-lethal. You may not be bothered by the sight of a dead animal, while someone else may never want to see what the trap has accomplished. There is something on this list for all of these preferences.

1. Made2catch Classic Metal Rat Trap – Editor’s Choice

A household that is being bothered by large rats will probably be interested in this product. Available in a set of four, each trap is made of galvanized metal. Accordingly, they are heavy and incredibly durable. Each one can be used over and over again for an extended period of time. A pedal design and powerful spring ensure a quick, clean kill.

2. Havahart 0745 One-Door Animal Trap – Humane Trap For Rats

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All internal edges on the inside of the trap are smooth to minimize the opportunities for the trapped animal to hurt itself. On the top of the trap, you’ll find a convenient handle that makes it easy to carry the trap elsewhere. This metal trap is designed to resist rust and corrosion so that it can be used for years. The manufacturer recommends taking the captured animal a minimum of two miles from the site of capture.

FYI: Fly Traps Top 6.

How To Use Havahart 0745 (Video)

3. Tomcat Rat Snap Trap – Patented Interlocking Teeth

This trap’s name might be a bit of a tongue twister, but it is certainly an effective product. One of its definite advantages is that it can be set by hand or foot, thus saving your fingers from any painful pinches. Additionally, the bait cup is removed from the bottom of the trap for filling, which also keeps you safe from harm. So, that’s good news because this trap has a particularly aggressive design that includes a set of powerful jaws that are designed to instantly kill rodents on contact.

4. Rat Zapper Classic Rat Trap – No Touch, No View

With a light on the exterior of the enclosed trap, it’s easy to see when a rodent has been trapped or when the batteries are getting low. The bait is placed in the back wall of the compartment, which lures the rodent onto a set of metal plates. Once triggered, the plates deliver 8,000 volts of electricity for two full minutes. This ensures a quick death. Users can then open the door on the trap and tip the contents into the garbage. It’s a quick, efficient and sanitary system.

5. Guarden Rat Traps – Best Indoors & Outdoors

This product is equipped with a set of truly terrifying rat-killing jaws. Unlike traditional designs that kill with a simple bar, this one is more likely to kill the rat on contact, rather than allowing it to suffer. In fact, this item is warranted to have in excess of 30 percent more force when compared to traditional traps. The trigger is described by the manufacturer as being “hair sensitive,” so there’s no reason why a rat or other large rodent would not set off the device.

6. Victor M144 Power Kill Rat Trap – Instant Kill

Available in packages of four or six traps, this product is designed to minimize false triggers so that you are more likely to get a kill every time you set out the traps. The trigger mechanism is incredibly responsive, which may make these traps effective for mice in addition to rats. With an integrated bait cup, it’s easier than ever before to entice rodents into the trap.

7. Victor Metal Pedal Rat Trap – For Quick Trapping

Available in a 12-pack for about $21, this is a pretty good deal. This also is probably the most traditional style rat trap on this list as it has a wooden base and a sturdy metal wire that comes down to trap and kill the rodent. Made in the USA, this product is constructed from sustainably harvested lumber. This company has been in operation since 1898, and the basic design of their rat-trap hasn’t evolved too much over the intervening decades. With more than one million traps sold, it’s clear that this company is doing something right.

8. Pest Control Rat Traps – Best Safe & Hygienic

Bait loads easily from the bottom so that you won’t have to risk hurting your fingers. When the trap claims a victim, carry it over to the garbage, squeeze the end of the trap and drop the rodent into the garbage. Rinse off with water and reload the bait to use again. Rodents weighing as little as 15 grams can set off the traps.

9. Tomcat Rat and Mouse Killer Disposable Station – Kid & Dog Resistant

The enclosed rat bait station has tamper-proof security measures in place to ensure that only smaller rodents will be able to access the poison. Bait blocks weighing 30 grams are loaded into the station. Each block has the potential to kill three rats. A clear window in the top of the unit allows consumers to monitor the bait.

10. The Amazing Humane Rat Trap with Starter Bait – Perfect for Animal Lovers

These aluminum, catch-them-alive traps resist corrosion and rust. In fact, the manufacturer says that you could get a lifetime of use out of this product. It comes with starter bait, but you can use any food that might be attractive to rodents as a safe, non-toxic alternative.

Buyer’s Guide

Choosing the best rat trap is a highly personal decision. Some people merely want to relocate the pest species because they intensely dislike the idea of killing another living being. Others have no difficulty with killing rodents, particularly if there’s a good chance that the pests spread diseases.

It’s best to be vigilant and act quickly when you suspect that rats or similar rodents are settling in or near your home. This minimizes your exposure to these pests and protects your family, food, and property. An important first step is to seriously consider whether or not you’re willing to kill the animals that are plaguing you.

Choosing a Lethal Option

If you don’t believe that you are capable of drowning or otherwise directly killing an animal, then a lethal trap may not be the right choice for you.

Is Poison the Right Method?

Another lethal option is to go with poison. Only one such option is presented on this list, and this one is included only because it is specially designed to resist the efforts of kids and pets to tamper with it. Still, the manufacturer recommends placing the bait station in a spot that children and domesticated animals are unable or unlikely to go.

Options That Don’t Harm the Animal

The non-lethal options presented on this list are an excellent choice for those who do not want to cause any animal to suffer. These methods are akin to catch and release fishing, except that you will be releasing the animal at a sufficient distance from your property. A good rule of thumb is between three and five miles.

This catch and release method may seem a bit more time consuming than lethal methods. For some people, it is still the only choice as they cannot picture themselves intentionally being the cause of an animal’s death.

Take Care During Transport

Safer for Pets and Desirable Wildlife

Another reason to choose a non-lethal rat solution is that these cages do not harm pets, birds or other desirable wildlife. While any animal could potentially be injured by a snapping rat trap, the same cannot be said for catch-them-alive traps. If you’re really concerned about other animals in your area, then this is the way to go.

Always Read Instructions

Be Careful!

Setting rat traps can be a dangerous affair. Again, it is critical that you always read and follow instructions to avoid hurting yourself. People have actually broken their fingers by getting them stuck in a trap.

Choose the Best Rat Trap

What Is The Best Rat Bait For Traps?

I would like to talk about why you shouldn’t use peanut butter or spreadable cheese like Velveeta, or the stuff you get in the aerosol can, why you shouldn’t use this stuff on your mouse and rattraps as bait. Now, to start with the reason most people generally use peanut butter is convenience. You just stick your finger in the jar or a knife, however, you’re going to do it, smear it on the bait pan on the trap, set the trap. You’re done.

So why you should not use peanut butter?

I’ve had other people say they use two-faced tape and stick it on the wall, and supposedly that helps for the rattraps. I didn’t even bother trying that one. That one just didn’t sound quite right to me. The thing is, it’s just there are a lot better ways to bait the trap than use peanut butter. Now, also the spreadable cheese, the same thing people use that is a convenience, but there’s also this myth that mice and rats go crazy over cheese. That is a myth. That is something that was started in the cartoons many, many, many years back.

Use food for cat or dog!

I actually got a doubleheader one time. I had one of those chicken wing tips tied on the trap, go out the next morning, and the trap went off and got two rats at once.

When you’re at the grocery store you can get those little sample bags for a dollar. That’s probably enough bait for your traps for a lifetime. Because the nice thing is once you catch a rodent, you just reset the trap. Generally, the bait stays on. Now, if you don’t have access to that, don’t want to go buy it, I have seen people use candy. Just don’t use something like soft chocolate, which, once again, they could lick off.

Well, if you have any suggestions about particular bait that you’ve tried on a trap and it worked great for you, go ahead and leave a comment below.